Railroad-tie.



G. A. ALLEN,

RAILROAD TIE.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 12, 1913.

Patented Apr. 7, 1914.

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hwwtoz Him a, 414W lxhtmeooeo TED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

CHAR/LES A. ALLEN, OF GALION, OHIO.

RAILROAD-TIE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galion, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Ties, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in metallic railroad ties or sleepers, and the object thereof is to provide an improved tie for sustaining railroad rails which embodies novel means for holding the rail both against lateral movement and longitudinal creeping.

The invention also embodies novel means for insulating the rail from the tie and also means for holding the rails in a slightly inclined position if desired, so as to make the bearing of the wheels on the rails more normally central of the heads thereof'than is now usually the case.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts constituting the invention to be hereinafter specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of the matter hereinafter claimed.

In the drawings in which similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the different figures, Figure 1, is a plan view of a railroad tie embodying this invention, together with two rails seated thereon; Fig. 2, is a side elevation looking at the ends of the rails with certain of the mechanism removed; Figs. 3 and 1,.are a plan and side elevation respectively, of a rail-holding device employed; Fig. 5, is a side elevation looking from the left in Fig. 1; and, Fig.

6, is a sectional View, on line A.A of Fig. 1.'

Referring to the drawings more particularly, it will be stated that the tie is preferably made of metal and embodies an upper wall 1, and laterally downwardly-inclined walls 2. The upper wall of the tie is provided with two oppositely-disposed, upwardly-extending lugs 3 forming abutments spaced a determined distance apart and with their inner opposing faces 4 fashioned to engage the sides of the webs, heads and flanges of normal railroad rails. The abut- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 12, 1913.

Patented Apr. "3, 1914.

Serial No. 784,398.

ments 3 are preferably integral with the body of the tie'and are provided on opposite sides with depending lugs 5 having horizontal apertures therein. The upper face of the upper wall of the tie is provided inwardly of and adjacent to the abutments with downwardly-inclinedportions 6 which are connected by the intervening body portion 7 which is in a lower plane than the outer or extreme ends of the tie. The inclined portions 6 constitute seats on which the rails rest and are preferably longitudinally corrugated or provided with flutes 8 which extend inwardly a sufficient distance to receive and support the flanges of the rails and are adapted to coact therewith when the latter are provided with transverse corrugations or flutes on their under faces to prevent longitudinal creeping of the rails under service conditions. The median portion of the tie is contracted at 9 or is provided with a narrower central por tion, the object of which is to provide a wider bearing surface at the ends of the tie than at the center to prevent tilting of the ends of the tie when in use and arrest any rocking movement thereof. The inner faces of the walls 2, 2 of the tie are preferably longitudinally corrugated at 10 to more firmly anchor them in the material in which they are seated.

Positioned on the inclined seats 6, 6 are two rails 11, 11 and these are held in position through the medium of bolts 12 having hooked ends 13 and with threaded shanks extended through the apertures of the lugs 5 and are provided at their free ends with tightening nuts 14 by which the hooked ends 13 are drawn against the flanges of the rails, causing the rails to be clamped against the inner opposing faces of the abutments 3 thereby anchoring the rails securely in position and preferably at a slight inward inclination toward each other as shown in the drawings, although the inclination in the drawing is greatly exaggerated for the purpose of more clearly illustrating this feature.

In order to hold the rails in position and from inward movement, I employ, if desired, a holding member consisting of a pair of transverse members 15 and 16 each of which are provided at their inner ends with threaded portions 17 to receive a turnbuckle 18 by which the relative positions of the members 15 and 16 may be adjusted.

The member 16 is provided at its outer end with a hook 19 which engages the outer flange of a rail and is further provided on its upper face with a horizontal revoluble clip 20 pivoted at21 and arranged to be locked in position when in engagement with the opposite flange of the rail through the medium of a hold-fast device, such, for instance, as a pin or bolt 22. The member 15 is provided with a fixed member 23 furnishing an abutment which engages the inner flange of the opposite rail.

In setting up. the device the tie is positioned and the rails are laid thereon and forced outwardly against the abutment 3 and held there through the medium of the hook-shaped bolts 12 and as precautionary means, the auxiliary holding devices are employed and are positioned as follows: The clip 20 is swung to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and the. hooked end 19 is hooked over the flange of one rail and the abutment 23 is forced into engagement with the inner flange of the other rail after which the clip 20 is swung to the position shown in Fig. 1 and the hold-fast device 22 secured in place. It will be obvious, of course, that any means for holding the clip 20 in position may be employed but a bolt or pin will customarily be used.

In order to adapt. the strengthening devices 15 and 16 to different gages of tracks, the turn buckle 18 is employed so as to vary the device to the requirements to which it will be put. Also when in position, the strengthening devices 15 and 16 may be forced away from each other by means of the turn-buckle thereby forcing the. rails outwardly against the abutments. In those cases where it is customary to utilize the rails as a means of electrical connection they may be insulated from the ties by employing an insulating medium 24 of suitable material interposed between the rails and the tie and also a similar insulating material may be employed around the strengthening bars 15 and 16 to insulate them from contact with the rails.

I claim 1. A railroad tie embodying a metallic body having an upper and lateral walls, the upper wall provided with a corrugated surface extending over those portions of the tie on which the rails are seated, said corrugations adapted to interengage with the base flanges of a rail.

2. A railroad tie comprising a metallic body having an upper and lateral walls, said upper wall provided with inclined seats for the rails, said inclined seats being provided with corrugations interengaging with the flanges of rails seated thereon.

3. A railroad tie comprising a metallic body portion having an upper and lateral walls, the upper face of the upper wall of said tie provided with integral upwardlyextending projections constituting abutments for engaging the side portion of railroad rails, the portions of the upper wall inwardly from said abutments I corrugated and constituting seats for rails.

4:. A railroad tie comprising a metallic body portion having. an upper and lateral walls, the upper face of the upper wall of said tie provided with integral upwardlyextending projections constituting abutments for engaging the side portions of railroad rails the portions of the upper wallinwardly from said abutments corrugated and inclined and constituting seats for rails.

5. A railroad tie embodying a metallic body portion having an upper and lateral walls, the upper wall provided with an upwardly-extending lug constituting an abutment, the inner face of said abutment adapted to engage the outer face of a rail for holding it in position, said abutment provided with an apertured lug and a hookshaped bolt positioned in the aperture insaid lug with the hook thereof engaging the flange of a rail, and means for shifting the position of said hook for clamping said rail against abutment.

In testimony whereof I have hereuntoset my hand in presence of two subscribing wit nesses.

CHARLES A. ALLEN. Vitnesses: r

C. E. HUMPHREY, A. L. McCLIN'rooK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner, of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

